Hi, I was curious on just how important a universities ranking and name really is in getting a job in architecture. Will employers hire you based on your portfolio or will they judge you first just on the university you went to before they look at your portfolio? Will I be turned down just based on the school I went? What is more important in architecture, portfolio or university name and ranking? How much does a university affect your portfolio? Who creates the ranking system anyway and how accurate or biased is it? I am currently getting my BS Arch at a low ranking university (99th in US and 7th in TX) at UTSA, I will probably get my MArch somewhere else, but I was just curious if ranking and name really matters or affects the quality of one’s education. Thanks for your input and time.
I want to know too!
Yes, I would imagine that going to Cornell over UTSA for grad school would give you the tools and knowledge to create a better portfolio to present to employers, while also making yourself look better by going to a better university with a better program bro @jritch @Bazinga123456789
Rankings just give a general idea about the reputation of the school, they do not give always correspond to the quality of work. We recruit in schools where we have had success in the past. Often it is based on having alumni in the firm who want to go back. I look at the rankings, but it does not directly affect where we choose to recruit. We also find that the graduating classes can really vary: one year a certain school will have the best recruits, another year we may not find any candidates we like.
Use the rankings as a general guideline, but you need to visit the school and talk to students to make a final decision.
rick